Bruno’s Italian Villa Evicted; Owes Over $31K in Rent

Several days have passed since it showed in the court filings that Kay Diemer Gartrell (the owner of the property at exit 116 formerly known as Ed & Kay’s Restaurant) is suing Bruno Beqiri (the person doing business as Bruno’s Italian Villa a restaurant located at the property). The two parties agreed upon a certain amount of monthly rent for Bruno’s to operate at that location and there was additional rent for using the furnishings and equipment belonging to Gartrell. According to court documents, Beqiri hasn’t paid in full in months, so the arrears and other fees amount to over $31,000.00. Gartrell is suing for the amount owed and for Beqiri and his business to be evicted. According to documents, Beqiri was told to vacate the property but continued to stay.

There are currently documents on the door from the Saline County Circuit Clerk and Saline County Sheriff’s Office to vacate.

Writ of Possession from Circuit Clerk.

Sheriff’s warning to vacate the property by May 27, 2018.

ORIGINAL MAY 18, 2018

Thursday night, a MySaline reader asked if Bruno’s Italian Villa was closed for good or temporarily. She said she had been by a couple of times that day, and they were closed, so she Googled their hours and found that the times were reflecting her suspicions that they might be closed.

The Facebook page showed no clues except a recent edit on the phone number. However, it’s the same number they have had in the past. Late in the evening, I didn’t call but left a message through their Facebook inbox. I’ve not received a reply from them at this writing.

And then… I did get a clue after looking in the court filings Friday morning. The property owner, Kay Diemer has filed a lawsuit against the restaurant owner, Bruno Beqiri. Not having heard back from the restaurant, I drove over today to see if there might be a notice in the window. All I found was an empty parking lot and a dry erase board out front that said, “Sorry we closed today.”

This isn’t the first time these two parties have had a legal tussle. In February 2016, Diemer sued for back rent in the amount of over $23,000. The parties eventually worked it out and the restaurant stayed. See more in related stories below.

It was a horrible lovation. I don’t care how good the food is, you cannot pay the bills when there’s less than $300 in sales on a weekday and rent is $4250/month. Then having to deal with an older building that isn’t energy efficient. Some months the Benton Utilities bill was over $2000. Then you add all the other expenses: gas, telephone, employees, insurance, and the list goes on. Bruno is an excellent chef. There just wasn’t enough business to justify the exjorbitant expenses each month.